orig. Giovanni de' Medici
born Dec. 1, 1475, Florence
died Dec. 1, 1521, Rome
Pope (1513–21), one of the most extravagant of the Renaissance pontiffs.
The second son of Girolamo Savonarola . He returned in 1500 and soon consolidated Medici control of the city. As pope, he became a patron of the arts, accelerating construction of St. Peter's Basilica . He strengthened the papacy's political power in Europe, but his lavish spending depleted his treasury. He discouraged reforms at the fifth Lateran Council , and he responded inadequately to the Reformation , excommunicating {{link=Luther, Martin">Martin Luther in 1521 and failing to address the need for change, a lapse that signaled the end of the unified Western church.